Holy Longing: Already & Not Yet (Advent 5)

The presence of the Spirit does not take away the suffering or it power. But it changes it. The Spirit is the beginning, the “first-fruit” as Paul calls it, of that surprising, new creation, new life. The suffering in all its excruciating variety is part of death, part of mortality, part of “the slavery of being corrupted” that all of creation experiences. It is a crucial part of the whole story, but not the end of the story. That is the Good News of the Gospel. Jesus ultimately conquers death. We’re allowed by God’s grace to share in him and in that way to share in his victory. But now it’s in the midst of a suffering world that we bear witness to his incarnation, bear witness to his cross, and bear witness to his resurrection. The Spirit is the first experience, as much as we can bear in this body, to the full experience of being God’s children as God will ultimately reveal. Then the surprise! The great “Not Yet” that we can’t even fully imagine. Evidently this body, so vulnerable that we sit in this room wearing masks even fully vaccinated, can be recreated by our Abba to truly share in his glorious life with all the self-giving love we see in Jesus. This is the hope that carries us through that bears the weight of our lives. We journey with God into the future. God gives us his Spirit now. We still endure suffering but we live joyfully by that Spirit.